Runaway

"IT IS THE FUTURE. Machines are being programmed to turn against us. Someone must stop the madman who started it all."

1984 1h 40m EN

😐

5.6

MID

★5.6TMDB · 300

Science FictionThrillerAction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In the near future, a police officer specializes in malfunctioning robots. When a robot turns out to have been programmed to kill, he begins to uncover a homicidal plot to create killer robots... and his son becomes a target.

“IT IS THE FUTURE. Machines are being programmed to turn against us. Someone must stop the madman who started it all.”

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Cast

Tom Selleck
Jack R. Ramsay
Cynthia Rhodes
Officer Karen Thompson
Gene Simmons
Dr. Charles Luther
Kirstie Alley
Jackie Rogers
Stan Shaw
Marvin
G.W. Bailey
Chief
Joey Cramer
Bobby Ramsay
Chris Mulkey
David Johnson

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Michael Crichton
Writers: Michael Crichton
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 85% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

42 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Michael Crichton, shot by John A. Alonzo. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Original score by Jerry Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Glenn Farr shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Tom Selleck and Cynthia Rhodes and Gene Simmons carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "IT IS THE FUTURE. Machines are being programmed to turn against us. Someone must stop the madman who started it all.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0088024 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Michael Crichton directs. John A. Alonzo behind the camera. Jerry Goldsmith scores. Glenn Farr cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 85% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
242 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Michael Crichton, shot by John A. Alonzo. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Jerry Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Glenn Farr shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Tom Selleck and Cynthia Rhodes and Gene Simmons carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "IT IS THE FUTURE. Machines are being programmed to turn against us. Someone must stop the madman who started it all.".
8IMDB entry: tt0088024 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 8 themes, including "future", "chase", "technology", "revenge".

The technical file

Cinematography: John A. Alonzo
Original score: Jerry Goldsmith
Editing: Glenn Farr
Production design: Douglas Higgins
Costume design: Betsy Cox
Runtime: 100 min · 1h 40m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $8,000,000
Box office: $6,770,587
Return: 85% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Runaway (1984)

Also by

Michael Crichton

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Community reviews

What people are saying

GenerationofSwine2023-01-11
★ 10/10
This is sort of a more realistic Terminator. I mean, we aren't going to see cyborgs marching over the earth, that would be entirely inefficient. But we already see a lot of robots like this, and they will be our downfall... ... for economic depression alone, even if the singularity never happens. Anyway, it is DATED, in fact it redefines dated and when I saw it in the early 90s as a kid (thank you Suncoast Video) it was dated... but it was fun. It tells a great story, Jack Ramsay is believable and not an over the top action hero (Thank you Tom Selleck) and it moves along at a nice and steady pace being just science fiction enough to be sci-fi and just grounded enough to be believable. And, revisiting it decades later, it still works despite how dated it is. So you are left entertained despite Alley once more playing 80s Girl and not an actual character. I mean, lets face it, any movie where Gene Simmons does a decent acting job, that is not only a good movie, but has a great director that knows how to get what he needs from actors.

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